Save money by buying basics/value/pleb food
Compared to that stuff, many household items start to seem appetising, so you don't need to restock for a while
( Tedium Alduce me to interlow myself., Mon 14 Nov 2011, 23:22, 1 reply)

I dont know if this will still work.
But when I was oh so much younger than Iam now, the saturday afternoon matinee at the local Odeon could be very profitable.
When the lights came up and everybody got up to leave, me and my cronies would work our way up and down each aisle gleaning the floor of any dropped coins.
Without fail we would recoup our ticket price and have enough left over for fish and chips, chocolate and a fizzy pop.

Luxury!






With the admin price of your average cinema now you'd probably be lucky to make enough to cover half of that
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 23:17, 2 replies)

Speaking of marked down stuff in shops
It's all a case of timing. I went in Asda once and bought about £40 worth of meat for about £15, and it all went in the deep freeze. Didn't buy meat again for about 3 weeks.

But, if you want a lavish treat, then go in Waitrose about an hour before closing. The deli, patisserie and fish counters have some outrageous reductions. And being Waitrose, there aren't loads of smelly vultures picking through them whilst the yellow ticket man tries to fight them off.
I've had a £10 lobster for £2.50, A full £8 mint choc-chip cheescake for £2 and countless portions of quality cheeses, pies, cold meats and paté all for about 30% of the usual price.
In some cases, you might end up paying about the same price for something similar from Tesco etc, but the quality is so much better.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 22:42, 6 replies)

Before going to the supermarket.
Eat!!!
Statistics show, people can spend up to 20% more when doing food shopping whilst hungry.
(Boom- Clicks on NSFW links at work., Mon 14 Nov 2011, 22:37, 2 replies)

Cabbage soup
Might sound like a borstal staple, but its cheap, surprisingly tasty and easy to make.

Shred, chop up and boil up a whole cabbage. Add at least enough water to cover vegetable matter, more if required. Then add a couple of ham stock cubes and pepper to taste. Ideally use a hand blender to blitz it into a thermos friendly soup.

Voila, stinky farts and cheap lunches for the week.
(Cancer Joy was short lived, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 22:28, 8 replies)

Show pictures of your naked body to people for money

(Monty's Ex is sorry, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 22:22, 7 replies)

Keynesian Economists
Save money by spending more of it than usual, thus avoiding the paradox of thrift.
(cs1ca, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 21:48, Reply)

This week
is like watching Martin Lewis have one long, drawn out, and very public mental breakdown.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 21:20, 3 replies)

to quote a colleague of mine when I complained about being broke
..."see, YOUR mistake was not being born to rich parents."
(jennymnemonic, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 20:40, Reply)

I'm sure I've posted this before, but keep your eyes peeled anywhere that people are paying for stuff. I've found loads of cash near checkouts and bars, the busier the better. I've left clubs before with more money than I went in with. People drop money all the time, sometimes they know it and can't be arsed to pick it up again.
( shrinking man Been away a while, time I ventured back, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 20:35, 6 replies)

Before venturing in to a supermarket (or independent grocery retail establishment),
ensure that you are funtionally numerate, and so able to read (and understand) the price labels, thus enabling you to purchase the products which suit both your needs and budget.

Serious thought: although loose fruit & veg is sold by weight, supermarkets appear to have done away with the scales. Bastards.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 20:26, 3 replies)

Go and see local musicians for free in pubs
it's much more rewarding and you'll be amazed at what you come across. I've seen Ben Howard loads of times for free before he got well known, for example. I've seen a goodly number of fantastic acts you'll have never heard of too!

There's some crap out there of course, but you'll soon figure out where the good venues are.

PS I live in a small village in Cornwall and there's plenty on round here.
(teasus likes tea, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 20:12, 2 replies)

piracy! Arrrr
Pirate music! In my opinion it does the artist good in the long run... I say this as the husband of an up and coming musician.

Copying music for your friends spreads the word about good music.

You're more likely to spend your cash on albums from less well known people that you can't get hold of.

Finally, use some of the stacks of cash you save to go and see a few people live. It's a much nicer way of supporting musicians and they get a bigger cut too.
(teasus likes tea, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 20:07, 12 replies)

poverty pancakes!
I invented these when money was ludicrously short and my children were rather small. they're now teenagers and they still love 'em!

Basically mix flour, water and a little sugar together to get a consistency like thick pancake batter. If you have it you can use a bit of milk. If you don't have any sugar you can leave it out but they won't be as nice, although you could probably use anything sweet you happen to have like jam, syrup etc.
Adding things like cocoa powder and sunflower seeds, peanuts etc if you have them is nice.
Just pour and fry like pancakes - it takes a little longer than normal ones and you need to make it a bit thicker.

It might sound a bit gross but it's actually surprisingly pleasant! And it costs next to nothing - a big bag of flour is about 50p, sugar's about 90p. Job's a good 'un!
(teasus likes tea, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 19:56, 6 replies)

Saves a little I guess
If you're going out drinking take a hip flask full of whatever you drink with mixers. Then after you've had a few pints and are about to go on to the shots/mixers, just buy some coke/lemonade/whatever and add from your hip flask. Probably save a tenner on a night out.
( Ya What Skiddlyboop, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 19:43, 5 replies)

Has anyone suggested own-brand groceries yet?
Oh and something about toilet paper
(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 18:52, 6 replies)

knit
many charity shops will have wool in stock, but you have to be quick: old women have razor-sharp wool-detecting senses and will snap it up almost immediately. if you do manage to get some, it will be much cheaper than buying it from a normal shop, although you can get a 500g ball of white wool from B & M for about £3.49.
once you know how to knit(and especially if you're not picky about the colour), you can make yourself a warm and cosy blanket for very little money and a fraction of what you'd pay for a handmade blanket elsewhere. with a couple of these, you won't need to use so much gas for heating and you'll always have spare blankets for guests.
knitting also gives you something to do when you're bored on those long winter nights and it'll keep your fingers supple, useful if you suffer from arthritis.
i've got a blanket box stuffed with my own handmade blankets and my latest creation, a tetris blanket, looks great on my bed!
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 18:42, 12 replies)

Save money by not buying supermarket generic products
Buy Hellman's Mayonnaise instead of Asda Smartprice - it's much nicer. Buy real Kellog's cornflakes instead of Tesco Value, because they taste nicer.

Don't buy cheap shit just because it's cheap. You won't enjoy it as much. Buy the stuff you like, but maybe not quite so much of it.
(gordonjcp, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 18:13, 5 replies)

Tell your kids
that the ice-cream van only plays music when they've run out of ice-cream.
(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Mon 14 Nov 2011, 18:11, 4 replies)

Defraud your children of branded products
If your kids want branded products like proper Weetabix or cola, simply buy the proper ones once and then on future shopping trips buy the supermarket's own cheaper versions and then refill the Weetabix box with the inner packets of the "wheaty biscuits" and refill pop bottles with the cheap pop.

Very few kids will notice the difference because it's all about the packet.

Also: You'll have to buy the branded products every so often to keep packets not looking too worn.
(ThatNiceMan thought he was being funny, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:47, 4 replies)

Approaching Use By Meat
ALWAYS pick up meat that's priced down, and approaching it's "Use By"... chances are it'll be gone off and you wont be able to use it, instead return it the next day and ask to "Exchange"... sometimes you'll have to get a refund, but if it's simply carrying a bag up a road and back down as you go about your business, then it's only a couple of minutes of your life... and if the meats worth £5 and you pay £1 for it, and then it's no good and you get it exchanged for £5 worth of good meat, then you can't say fairer than that!
(Universon, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:25, 18 replies)

Never worry about money again.
Top yourself.
(ThatNiceMan thought he was being funny, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:25, 1 reply)

Free Vouchers in Papers
The Star (UK) recently had a Greggs Promotion... 30p Newspaper, cut out a tiny form, enter someones name, hand it over, get a free pie... one per voucher, per person, per visit... so, buy as many papers as you have Greggs in town, per person. Stock up...

I did this with Morrisons, and 'The Sun', when they had some Patak's voucher, I bought 12 copies of the paper, at a cost of £3.60 and ended up with 12 jars of curry sauce, basically, enough to eat curry once a week up until christmas, thanks very much...
(Universon, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:24, 1 reply)

Naming cola after children (not vice versa)
Coca Cola is quite expensive, maybe this is justified, but if that's justified then going to Aldis and getting the cheap stuff can be justified too. Particularly if you've got young children, with young children's teeth, as young children tend to have.

So, to save a few quid whilst saving your kids teeth whilst still allowing them this treat, find a decent tasting sugar free variety (one that you yourself can stomach/enjoy, and mixes well enough with rum or vodka or whatever your poison is), and rename it...

If your kid is called Danny, then make sure you end up with Danny asking for "Danny Cola"... "Mum, I want some Danny Cola, can I have some Danny Cola please"... sure, they'll still pine for the good stuff, but they'll accept the trade off for their name being included, and feeling like they own it.

Savings?
6 * cans of "Danny Cola" in Aldi = £1
6 * cans of Coca Cola (anywhere) = £1.99 or something???
A kid that doesnt get so much sugar (i'm sure there are other chemicals of course)
A kid that enjoys asking for their own Cola, by name their name, and feels good about it.

And for the kicker, you know you're kids going to find themselves embarrassed in later years (when they his 7 maybe, or maybe a slip of the tongue in their 30s?) asking for "Danny Cola" in front of friends etc....
(Universon, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:20, 4 replies)

Don't bother
with pre-packed mushrooms. A 250g punnet of mushrooms works out more expensive than just putting some loose ones in a paper bag. Also, you get to pick the best ones out of the crate.

The Asda Smart Price mushrooms are cheaper than the loose ones by weight, but they're not perfect and are only worth getting if you intend to use them all later that day.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:13, 5 replies)

Free Local Postage/Mail.
Question 1: What happens when you fail to put a stamp on the post
Answer: The recipient receives the mail/a note to collect the mail - and pays £1 on top of the postage

Question: What happens if you fail to put a TO address on a letter, but put a RETURN address on it?
Answer: The letter is returned to you for free, so that you may repost it with a TO address on it.

Question: What happens if you fail to put a TO address on a letter, and forget to put a stamp on it, but you h ave put a RETURN address on it?
Answer: The post is returned to you, failure to have a stamp on it is not penalised, you'll be given the chance to put the TO address and the stamp on it.

Question: What happens if you fail to put a stamp on it, neglect to put a TO address on it, and put the person whom you want to receive the letters address down as the RETURN address?
Answer: The letter is returned to the person you wish to receive it. Free postage
(Universon, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 17:01, 16 replies)

Seriously cutting down on deforestation
would be a good start.

mankind's invasion and subsequent destruction of their natural habitat is certainly the main reason that numbers in the wild are dwindling so rapidly. Good on b3ta by the way for having such a responsible qotw!
(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 16:59, 5 replies)

Gambling for free food
I dont go to Casino's, I don't like to gamble etc... however there are three tips I have for these facilities:

1. If you go to the dogs (track/racing) there really is no point doing as I did. Taking £X amount and trying to get rid of it as quickly as possibly by predicting named places 1,2, and 3... You wont get it right. Instead, don't gamble, simply copy what the massively overweight 60 year old who has his own stool, table, drinking vessel, and has his grandkids put his bets on... chances are he lives there and will win often.

2. Join your local Casino. A few years back I joined Gala Casino, they gave me a free £5 voucher for gambling tokens (turned out they were pound coins fed into the machine for me), they also let me buy £5 more and matched it with another £5. One 30p spin later I returned all the money out the machine and we had a good 2 double Rum and cokes before leaving, plus they sent me more promotional offers.

3. Recently I attended a local casino as a Mystery Shopper, I spent money to a value as prescribed, and then a month later they paid me back... a free night out "fine" I hear you cry, but what was good about it was that if you bought burger and chips (and I was lucky enough that food was part of the free spend) they you reached £5, which earned you a free £5 bet on black/red on the roulette. I later went back and did the same again, so have 3 * £5 bets... so how's this so good? Let me explain:

A. Action: I, and my accomplice place the 'promotional token' on red/black (one on each). Two tokens are places, one is held in reserve.

B. Result: One person wins, one person loses. One person will have £5 cash, and still retain £5 token, the other person will have £0 and no token. So that's £5 cash, and 2 £5 tokens (1 on table, one in reserve)

C. Action: Winner takes their £5 to the kitty, Leaves their chip on, and other person takes 3rd chip (reserve) and bets on the other (red/black) as appropriate.

D. Result: One person wins, one person loses. One person will have £5 cash, and still retain £5 token, the other person will have £0 and no token. So that's £10 Cash, and 1 £5 token (1 on table, none in reserve)

E. Action: 3 £5 tokens have been turned into £10 cash and 1 token (remove from table) in two spins of the wheel.

F. Result: Next time you visit you have £10 to spend on food. Which means you will receive 2 * £5 gambling tokens, which means you have 3 tokens, which means you can repeat this ad infinitum, or at least until they realise.

Just remember not to gamble!
(Universon, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 16:57, 3 replies)

Organise your own foreign holiday schedule rather than relying on a travel agent.
This is particularly easy if you want to go to the USA. *

We went to Las Vegas, Orlando and New York over a 3 week period for my 40th birthday and 8th Wedding anniversary, entirely arranged by Mrs Airman Gabber armed with nothing much more than the internet, patience and a 0% credit card. All our flights combined flying with DELTA airline came to less than our parents paid on a return flight to Vegas and back with Virgin. You don't quite get the same luxuries but the savings were huge.

All the hotels were either booked directly with the hotel website or via the American version of Laterooms/Lastminute. Just make sure you've done your research of the hotels first to avoid any Horror Stories. Most of the usual chains are fine (Quality inn, Best Western etc..)

We stayed at a great hotel right in the busiest area of International Drive for 10 nights and it only cost £350.

Also Don't bother hiring a car in Orlando. Transport is either free, cheap and plentiful and a taxi from the airport is only about $20

For our less epic holidays we sign up to Easyjet's mailing list which gets us advanced notice of all the latest flights when they release them (They tend to release flights about 8 months in advance) and the prices are usually 1/3 - 1/2 the price when booked 2 or 3 months ahead. Booked 8 months in advance we got return flights to Tenerife (including taxes) for £65 each.

Accomodation can also be arranged independently either via hotel websites or privately owned apartments. In the case of Tenerife the Apartment only 8 minutes from a major beach and resort is only £200/week.

This put the cost of 2 weeks in the sun at a total cost of £530 for 2 people... Before we spunked a grand up the wall on booze whilst we were there.

* I know you're not all impoverished Students so this advice may be useful to some here, before you rip me a new arsehole for being elitist or something.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Mon 14 Nov 2011, 16:46, 7 replies)

ALSO
Freecycle must be my best friend at the moment.
If I need something for the flat I always have a gander on there and so far I'v got an 8ft fig tree indoors which is a beaut and a two seater sofa, which is in fantastic condition. (brand new id spend a few hundred quid and from a seccond hand furniture store about 50 so I bung a mate with a van a case of beer and voila)
Iv also put stuff on there to save the hassle of putting it on ebay, wrapping it and lugging it to the post office. I just make an add and within a day someone who would of really needed it can take it of my hands :)
(shezam slouching towards nirvana., Mon 14 Nov 2011, 16:37, 4 replies)